Nanny
by cutemunster
Summary: Ciel is desperate for a job. No one is willing to hire him. After weeks of being poor, he's convinced to join an agency that will help him find a job as a babysitter. But when Ciel shows up at the Michaelis residence, he learns that they're looking for a live-in nanny. The Michaelis' are loaded. How bad could it be?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first fic ever, and I have no clue what I am doing tbh. Very OOC.  
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**Enjoy the chapter.**

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><p>Ciel desperately needed a job. At this point, anything but stripping and selling drugs would do.<p>

The college sophomore had been in New York City for over a year now, and he'd been coasting without a part-time job. His dad would send money when he was able to, and on top of that Ciel had a bit saved up from all the summers he'd slaved at the local coffee shop back in London. But now things were changing. He was barely hanging on by a thread, and earning some money of his own would be necessary.

Unfortunately, his father made a little too much money for him to be eligible for financial aid, but not enough to actually be able to cover his tuition, rooming, _and _cost of textbooks—not to mention having to pay to feed himself. New York—as beautiful as it was, and as _at-home_ as it felt—was expensive as shit. The scholarship that Ciel had received didn't help as much as he'd hoped.

Last month, there was a job fair that Ciel's friend Alois dragged him to. Friends were hard to come by for Ciel, and needing the money, he decided to attend as well. As great a guy that Alois was, attending a job fair with him probably wasn't the best idea Ciel had ever had.

They were complete opposites; while Ciel was the nerdy, dweeby kid who barely spoke above a whisper and tended to keep his head sheltered between the pages of a book, Alois was the type to dominate a room. He had personality and could get along with just about anybody. No one walked all over Alois. Ciel left the fair feeling extremely small that day. Though he gave out his resume to tons of places, he knew that none of them would call. They wouldn't even remember who he was. Alois on the other hand did amazing. He spent his evenings and the weekends working at a recording company.

That was just the way things went in Ciel Phantomhive's life.

There were very few places hiring. All of the jobs Ciel thought he'd be successful at were taken.

A local bookstore wasn't hiring. A local coffee shop wasn't hiring. His stint as a customer service worker in the mall didn't last long. It had only been a week before asshole customers were demeaning him, saying horrible things without even thinking twice. His supervisor wasn't helpful at all. He only got 15 hours a week. It wasn't worth the stress.

It was actually when Ciel had gone to a small Indie bookstore tucked somewhere in Midtown Manhattan that the teenager received some helpful advice. Though the manager of the family owned business wasn't in the position to hire anyone right now, she handed Ciel a small card and smiled sweetly as she spoke.

"This is the agency that I used when I was looking for a nanny. They are looking for babysitters as well. I don't know if you've ever worked with children, but I think you'd enjoy it Ciel."

Ciel was unsure. He'd babysat before but it was for an hour or two at a time, giving his neighbors back in London a chance to go out for date night. The experience wasn't the best because little kids were assholes, but he had to admit that it paid_._

"It's one of the most sought out agencies in the city," she continued. "And even if this isn't what you want to do, at least give it a shot until something else opens up, you know?"

Ciel looked at the _Absolute Best Care _business card. It couldn't hurt to try. "Thank you," he said with a smile, nodding to the woman. Juggling his textbooks and the card she'd given him, Ciel slowly turned to exit the store. He decided that if the Science Museum he applied for didn't get back to him, then he'd give the agency a try.

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><p>The Science Museum did get back to him, but only to say that they wanted to thank him for applying but another candidate was chosen. Ciel didn't know what he expected. He sucked at interviews. He was much too shy, much too book nerdy and not quite the outgoing personality many companies looked for.<p>

The Absolute Best Care Agency seemed to like him, though. The woman who interviewed him was named Ms. Red, and she admired how intelligent Ciel was. It went without saying that he had a good head on his shoulders. They discussed babysitting "etiquette" and what parents were looking for, and before Ciel knew what was going on, he was in orientation with a bunch of women ages 25-55. It wasn't exactly what he thought would become Ciel Phantomhive, but money was money.

A few days later, Ms. Red called to let him know that he'd been placed. A family in uptown Manhattan needed a babysitter from Monday – Friday, and it was perfect because it wouldn't interfere with Ciel's classes. He told her that he was interested. Like the manager of the bookstore said, you gotta start somewhere. This little gig couldn't hurt too badly, could it?

The interview was for Monday morning. Ciel fixed his hair as he rushed down Fifth Avenue.

The sun was hiding behind clouds as rain threatened to fall on the windy, April day. After checking his leather band watch, Ciel realized he had two minutes to be at the Michaelis residence for his interview, and as he stood on the corner of 100th Street and 5th Avenue waiting for the traffic light to change in his favor, the teenager acknowledged that he already failed at the _punctual _part of the interview.

This was just his luck.

By the time he reached 102nd street, rain started to pour. Ciel hadn't bought a new umbrella after the last one he owned was destroyed by the wind and abandoned on Broadway, so needless to say he did get a little soaked. As he entered the building, he got an odd, distasteful look from the doorman.

"Can I help you?" he asked. The doorman was a big, burly man who seemed to not want to be there.

Ciel groaned at how wet he was, lowering his jacket from over his hair where he'd been using it as a shield from the rain. He was late. It probably made no sense to go to the family's condo now. Ciel surveyed the lobby of the building. They were loaded. They wouldn't have the patience for someone who didn't show up on time for a job interview.

"Can I help you?" he repeated. This time, there was a hint of annoyance in the older man's voice.

Ciel gave a small smile before replying.

"I'm sorry. I'm here to see Hannah Michaelis. I have an interview."

The doorman watched him for a moment before picking up the telephone on his desk. He had a hushed conversation before hanging up and gesturing to the elevator. "The floor is 15. It'll be the only condominium on that floor."

Ciel nodded to him and walked over to the elevators. He did so slowly to observe the leather couches and marble floor of the lobby in the luxury building. Everything told him to leave—he didn't belong here. He just couldn't see a rich and more than likely _snobby _family hiring the likes of him.

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><p>"She's late. I'm calling the agency."<p>

Sebastian hardly had a chance to enter the room before his wife had begun. He rarely got a 'good morning' from her nowadays. "Anything could've happened, Hannah. Give her a chance to get here."

"Daddy!" black pigtails bounced as Sebastian's daughter hopped up over the couch.

Sebastian smiled, allowing the little girl to jump into his arms.

"Well if this nanny doesn't know any better than to leave a little early in case something was to happen, then she clearly lacks common sense. I don't know if she'd be the right choice to care for our daughter, Sebastian, or to even be trusted in our home."

Sebastian didn't know if he should answer his wife or let her continue to talk over him. It wasn't like she was going to let him win anyway, even if she was wrong and lacking a bit of compassion at the moment. A couple minutes late wasn't the end of the world.

The phone rang and Hannah stalked over to answer it. As she held the receiver to her ear, she played at the expensive pearls around her neck. "Yes, we are expecting someone. Send them right up. Thank you."

Sieglinde played at her father's tie as per usual. The six year-old was without a doubt daddy's girl, and the way he rocked her in his arms and blew raspberries into her cheeks was a testament to that. After hearing her laughter, Sebastian pulled back to look into the beautiful green eyes.

"Are you ready to meet your new nanny?"

Sieglinde shrugged at that, and her father could understand. The last one the agency sent was about 50 and not much fun.

Hannah hung up the phone and looked at her husband. "Aren't you going to be late for work?"

"I'll be fine," Sebastian responded. He let Sieglinde down and sat her on the sofa, and she picked up the book she'd been reading. "If it's fine with you, I'd like to hang around to see the person the agency sent. They'll be spending a lot of time here with Sieglinde, after all."

The doorbell rang and Hannah took a deep breath, fixing her blouse. Sebastian looked away from the woman as she pulled back her long lavender hair, shaking his head and going to answer the door. He was about to say hello and introduce himself when the person standing there wasn't the person he expected to be there at all.

"Um… can I help you?"

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><p>Ciel stepped off the elevator once it reached the 15th floor. He didn't have any money to tip the attendant who pressed the button for him, so he shyly smiled and walked off without a word.<p>

Pushing his ash blue hair behind his ears, he looked around the beautiful halls and approached the front door of the Michaelis residence, tapping the doorbell twice.

It was quiet inside, and he waited patiently for the door to be answered. The top of his black vneck shirt was damp and the bottoms of his pants were as well, and he didn't know if he wanted to enter their condo with his wet shoes. This was shaping out to be a trying day. He should've stayed in his dorm room and faked the flu.

After a moment, a man dressed in what was without doubt a designer suit opened the door. He looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s when Ciel got a good look at him. But when Ciel got a good look at him, he damn near fainted.

He was handsome beyond words.

The man with the raven hair stared at him dubiously at first. His shirt fit him perfectly; just enough to make out the lines of his pectoral muscles beneath the soft black fabric, and Ciel really liked his red skinny tie. Before he could examine the man any further, he spoke.

"Um… can I help you?"

Ciel stood there with his lips parted. _Answer him, idiot!_

A lavender haired woman with blue eyes and a beautiful floral dress stepped up behind him. She was a bit shorter but her presence definitely dominated the room. "Can we help you?" she repeated.

"Uh, I…" Ciel shook his head to gather his thoughts. "I-I'm sorry. My name is Ciel. Ciel Phantomhive," he rushed out. "I'm with Absolute Best Care and I was sent here for an interview with the Michaelis'?"

The man looked him up and down and then a smile crossed his face. That was the last thing Ciel expected to happen. The woman however only rolled her eyes.

"They sent a boy? How old are you? 15? I thought the agency was more reliable than that—"

Ciel watched as the man he assumed was her husband shushed her. "Please come in… it was Ciel, right?"

Ciel nodded, otherwise silent. "I um, it's raining out there."

The man with the dark hair smiled at him, and Ciel felt weak. Staying at the dorm would've been a great decision. "I can see that. You can leave your shoes here if you'd like," the man told him, gesturing to the mat inside. "I'll take your jacket for you."

So Ciel did as he was told. He handed his jacket over to the man in the suit and smiled at the little girl he saw curiously watching him from the living room.

This place was enormous.

The living room itself was like four of the dorm rooms at his university. The kitchen was massive, and covered in marble and stainless steel and sheer beauty. Ciel couldn't imagine the rest of the place.

"My name is Hannah Michaelis and this is my husband, Sebastian," the woman told him.

Gorgeous wasn't good enough a word to describe her. Ciel forced a smile as he offered his hand. He'd need to take a class on how to be sociable because he'd never quite mastered that.

Ciel didn't master a lot of things. After the intimidating woman shook his hand, doing what Ciel was sure was covering up her disdain, Ciel turned to Sebastian and shook hands with him. He blushed at how Sebastian looked at him and then faced the woman again.

"They didn't tell me they were sending a boy. I've never heard of a boy live-in nanny and I don't know how good an idea that is."

Ciel had his hands at his side as an eyebrow went up. "L-Live-in nanny? The agency said you needed a babysitter."

Hannah laughed. "A babysitter? I'm an editor of a fashion magazine, married to the partner in a law firm. We have a six year old. A babysitter won't cut it. Can't they get anything right?"

Ciel didn't know what to say to that. He closed his mouth though and nervously played at his blue suspenders. Live-in nanny? No way. Not with this lady.

"How about we take a seat?" the husband asked. He smiled at Ciel, placing a hand on the small of his back and urging him towards the living room. "I'll get you some coffee so you can warm up. Darling." He turned to his wife and gave her this smile that covered an expression Ciel couldn't quite decipher. "Would you like anything?"

Hannah shook her head no as she glared back at him. "I'm fine, honey. I just don't know if Ciel would be the best choice for what we need and I'd hate to waste his time like the Absolute Best Care Agency has wasted mine."

Ciel took a deep breath. "I-If you're uninterested I can tell my boss and she can get someone better suited—"

"Please have a seat, Ciel. Hannah," Sebastian said. "We can't have Ciel travel all the way here in the rain and then write him off before he gets a chance."

Ciel looked between the both of them before staring down at his feet.

"Get out of those shoes and I'll get you some coffee," Sebastian told him. The man walked off; his expensive shoes sounding against the gorgeous parquet floors as he went.

Hannah smiled at Ciel, though it was incredibly forced. The blue eyed teen bent down and untied his laces before pulling off the shoes. He stood up, forcing a smile back.

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><p>Sebastian peeked into the living room as he poured a cup of coffee for their guest. He listened to the conversation between his wife and Ciel, which seemed to be a bit one-sided. Most conversations that involved Hannah tended to be one-sided.<p>

It was a bit of a shock that their agency sent a male to be their potential nanny but if they sent him, they must've thought he was right for the job. Sebastian watched as the young man nodded at whatever his wife was saying, and watched as his daughter looked at Ciel curiously. He smiled, grabbing a few sugars and the cream and heading into the living room.

"That's why I explained to the agency that we were looking for someone who could work Monday through Fridays and live in our home. The weekends would be theirs. Sebastian and I do have some late days at work, and even bring work to home. We need someone to get Sieglinde ready for school and take her to her dance lessons and help with homework, light housekeeping when the maid isn't in. Things like that."

Sebastian nodded to Ciel when he said thank you and accepted the coffee. He then picked up his daughter and sat on the sofa beside Hannah.

"Where do you go to school, Ciel?"

"I go to NYU," he said, playing at his glasses. He seemed nervous and like he wanted to be anywhere but here. "My major is journalism and I'm usually in class between 9:30 and 2 from Monday to Thursday."

Sebastian nodded and looked down at his daughter who pulled at his tie. "Have you ever babysat before?"

Hannah looked at Ciel, curious as to his experience. He shook his head a little, fingering the rim of the cup.

"I've only done so around the neighborhood when I was in high school but the responsibilities you all need," Ciel said and then trailed off. "Your daughter is beautiful and I can tell she's a priority of yours. I don't want you to have to settle for someone like me."

Hannah watched her daughter blush at the 'beautiful' part. "Someone like you? Meaning?"

Ciel swallowed hard and sighed. "I'm 19 years old. The only full-time job I've ever had was at a coffee shop in London. I don't have any siblings so the whole being responsible for someone's daughter throughout the whole week is definitely a foreign concept to me." He fiddled with the cup. "I'm not saying that I couldn't do it if you wanted me to. I'd do an amazing job. But I'm only looking for something because I need a job. You both are probably looking for someone who has been in the field forever and is passionate about it."

Hannah turned to her husband. Sebastian lifted his eyebrows and smiled a little. He liked the kid, and he knew Sieglinde did too.

"This is probably the most I've spoken since Thursday," Ciel said with a blush, looking down at his hands.

Sebastian smiled at him. Ciel seemed like the bookish type, but there was nothing wrong with that. Bookish was a good type to be around his daughter. "You're from London? I'm from Birmingham ."

That got the timid teenager to smile a little. "Yeah. A couple hours away."

"Ah." Sebastian nodded. He then looked at his wife. "I know he isn't exactly what we expected…"

"He isn't," Hannah said quickly. "No offense, Ciel. But I have a six year old daughter. I don't think I could trust a boy around her."

Ciel nodded his agreement. "I completely understand that."

"I trust him," Sieglinde said. Sebastian looked down at her and Ciel smiled a little. "And I like your suspenders."

"I like your shoes. I used to have shoes that lit up, too."

Sieglinde smiled at him as she moved into her father's side.

Hannah resumed. "Someone your age… I don't want to seem like I'm being discriminatory but I can just imagine a teenage boy bringing girls back to my home and I can't have that. Not around Sieglinde."

Sebastian watched Ciel swallow the coffee and shake his head, looking around condo for the umpteenth time. "I suppose that's true too. If I were in your position I would make the same assumption. But, I'm not interested in girls at all, Mrs. Michaelis. If I were, I doubt a guy like me could get a girlfriend."

"So you're gay?" she asked.

"Darling," Sebastian said.

"I am," Ciel told them. "Even if I wasn't, I wouldn't disrespect your home by bringing other people here while I was taking care of Sieglinde. I know I'm young, but I'm not irresponsible."

Hannah stared at him. "So you have no interest in live-in?"

Ciel almost dropped the cup and silently cursed himself. He couldn't even hold a cup correctly.

"If—Are you really interested in me working for you?"

Sebastian was still stuck on the _gay _part. He looked Ciel over once more before he heard the tail end of what his wife was saying.

"…the agency. You're majoring in journalism. I work in the journalism field. I can get you at the very least a desk job at a magazine company _if _you work for us the next two weeks. You don't have to live-in, but Sebastian and I do need help getting Sieglinde to school and back home and getting homework done too. You'll be free to go as soon as one of us gets in from work."

Ciel looked like he was thinking about it, and he seemed to be very unsure.

"Two weeks is the max. Maybe this shamble of an agency can find us someone to live-in before then."

Ciel looked at Sebastian and the man smiled at him, though Sebastian wasn't sure if his wife was serious. Maybe Ciel being gay made everything alright. She was extremely stereotypical about gay people. She thought they made fabulous friends and they were great at decorating. There was definitely a reason she was suddenly interested in hiring him now.

"I… I guess I can help out. I really do need this."

"Excellent," Hannah clapped her hands together and then looked at Sieglinde. "You can start today. Our driver will drop you off at NYU after you get Sieglinde to school. I've also prepared this packet for you with her schedule, allergies, hobbies, bedtime information, everything. You also have contact information for me and for Sebastian."

As the woman went on and on, Ciel nodded, taking it all in. He looked through the book and then back at Hannah, and then eventually to Sieglinde as he smiled and shook her hand. Sebastian watched the three of them before acknowledging that he needed to get to work. He stood and kissed his daughter goodbye, followed by his wife, and then shook Ciel's hand.

"It was lovely meeting you. Thanks for helping us out with this, Ciel. I'll be home at 5 today." He handed him a copy of the keys and a couple hundred bucks. "Call if you need anything."

Ciel's eyes went wide and he nodded. "I will. I can give you both my cell number now."

Sebastian nodded, pulling out his phone. The group exchanged numbers.

"Now," Hannah said, smiling at how Sieglinde took Ciel's hand. "We're going to do a quick tour of the place. We'll start with Sieglinde's room."

Sebastian smiled at them all before leaving. He nodded to Ciel as the teenager locked the door behind him and then went on his way. It shocked him that his wife seemed ok with such a young kid taking on the responsibilities of a nanny. The last one had they had was substantially older than both him and his wife, and she spent more time with Sieglinde than they had. It was unfortunate. Sebastian swore he'd change that.

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><p>Ciel had one hell of a morning. For one thing, he spent an hour with Hannah Michaelis. They talked about virtually everything under the sun. Ciel was nervous, but he believed he could do the job. She even showed him his bedroom if he were to decide to move in and take the job permanently. Ciel didn't know about that.<p>

But then he got to hang out with Sieglinde as the Michaelis' driver took them to her school.

Sieglinde was brilliant. She was only six but he swore that she was smarter than him. After making him promise to read her _five _stories when she got home from school and watch her TV shows, the girl joined her class in line at school. Ciel smiled and instructed the driver on where he was going, thanking the elderly man when he let him out at the NYU campus half an hour later.

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><p>"So do you like it?"<p>

"It's too early to tell," Ciel whispered to Alois as they sat in class. "The family seems nice… well I thought the mom hated me but I don't know. She seems ok."

Alois scribbled in his notebook. "Well those condos on Fifth Ave are worth millions so I'm guessing they're fucking loaded. You better hold on to this gig. And if they want you to move in, I'm sure living in a Fifth Avenue condominium is better than living in an NYU dorm room with Ronald."

"Ronald is a great roommate. He can be a little loud, but he's cool. I like him."

Alois nodded. "Uh huh. That's the problem. You like watching him bang other guys when he thinks you're asleep."

Ciel checked his phone and read the text that caused it to vibrate.

**From Mr. Michaelis:**

_Hey, Ciel. How'd everything go this morning? Did you find your way ok?_

"Who's that?"

"Mr. Michaelis," Ciel told him. He typed out a response. "I should've asked the driver to pick me up after classes today but I didn't want to push my luck."

Alois scoffed. "You're a dumb ass."

Ciel pushed his hair behind his ears, shrugging. "This is five hundred bucks a week. I don't want to screw it up."

His friend hummed acknowledgment.

**To Mr. Michaelis:**

_Everything went great. Thank you._

**From Mr. Michaelis:**

_I'll bring home dinner so you don't have to worry about cooking tonight. What would you like?_

Ciel smiled at the message. Sieglinde's dad seemed really cool.

**To Mr. Michaelis:**

_Whatever Sieglinde likes to have is fine with me. :)_

**From Mr. Michaelis:**

_So you want a happy meal? Whatever floats your boat._

Alois tried to sneak a peek at the phone when Ciel started to smile. "Are you banging the dad, Ciel? It's been one day. I respect you, bro."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "I'm not dignifying that with a response."

**To Mr. Michaelis:**

_On second thought, I'll take a salad, if it isn't too inconvenient._

**From Mr. Michaelis:**

_That's more like it._

"You're totally banging him."

Ciel gathered his things as the class ended. He didn't know what to with Alois sometimes.

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><p>When Sebastian arrived home that evening, he struggled through the door with dinner and his brief case. He hated to work from home because Hannah often made that difficult, as did Sieglinde with her constant desire to play. Sebastian really couldn't say no to his little girl. But it seemed that tonight, saying no wouldn't even be necessary.<p>

Ciel was at the dining room table, laptop open and textbooks surrounding him. He fixed a pair of reading glasses on his face and laughed at Sieglinde; the pigtailed haired girl singing along passionately to a cartoon theme song. Sebastian smiled, closing the door behind him.

Ciel looked over to him and rushed to help out. Sebastian nodded, allowing the kid to take the bags of food. "Thank you."

"Yeah," Ciel said, carrying everything to the table. He smiled when Sieglinde realized her dad was home and ran to attack, getting kissed dozens of times by the man.

"How's daddy's Princess doing?"

"Great! Ciel helped me with my homework and we read a bunch of stories. I helped him with his essay too."

Sebastian smiled at her. "Did you, now?"

Ciel turned around after clearing his things from the table. "My professor would love her. She should apply for a TA position."

Sebastian laughed, running his hands through the little girl's long hair. "Go get washed up for dinner."

"Ok!"

She ran off, and Ciel was about to go to follow her when Sebastian called out to him. Ciel stopped and about-faced, watching as the man pulled off his coat. Mr. Michaelis was way too handsome. Even taking off his coat was sexy. "Yes sir?"

"No _sir_," Sebastian told him with a smile. "I'm Sebastian. Ok?"

Ciel nodded, ducking his head a bit. "Sebastian. Got it."

Sebastian looked at him for a while, only looking away when the teen cleared his throat.

"I was wondering if you considered the whole live-in thing. I know you weren't looking to be a nanny but I'd be willing to work with you, and I know Hannah will as well. You have a good head on your shoulder and I can tell my little girl is already getting attached. I don't think Sieglinde has ever warmed up to someone so quickly."

Ciel looked up at him and then smiled, glancing away. "I wasn't planning on it to be honest, but I don't know. You and your wife are really helpful and Sieglinde is incredible. I think I'd be kind of stupid to reject a position as sweet as this."

Sebastian nodded. "Yeah, you would."

Ciel laughed and Sebastian saw him blush, smiling at the look of it. He raised an eyebrow when Ciel took his coat and gestured to the hook, going to hang it up for him.

"Thank you."

Ciel nodded. "No problem."

"So." Sebastian folded his arms over his chest as he heard his daughter singing aloud. "You don't have a boyfriend?"

Ciel was taken aback by the question, but only shook his head no as he nervously fidgeted at his glasses. "I don't. I'm not exactly looking right now."

"Oh," Sebastian said. He then smiled. "You can go wash your hands too. I'll get the food ready."

Ciel smiled too, but walked off without looking at his boss's face. He headed back to the bathroom and smiled at Sieglinde as she came prancing out, sticking their tongues out at each other. Sebastian smiled at them as he undid his tie.

After eating dinner, Ciel cleaned up a bit and went into the living room with his new friend so that they could watch TV together. Sebastian focused on the case he was working on. He had to be in court early the next morning, so getting this done early would be great. Yet he couldn't stop watching Ciel; the teen smiling as Sieglinde ran her mouth, the both of them discussing their favorite shows. Sebastian smiled and went back to his work. The agency made a pretty good choice.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave a review if you think I should continue.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everyone!**

**I thank you all for letting me know that this was worth continuing. I'm not quite sure how long it'll be, but for now it still has the status of 'mini-fic' until I figure everything out.**

**I know that the summary leaves certain aspects of the story out but I did it that way so that everything wouldn't be given away. I wrote and rewrote the summary several times and I'm pleased with the information given in the final version.**

**I hope that you all enjoy the second installment. **

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><p>Two weeks had passed since Ciel took the job as a nanny for the Michaelis family.<p>

So far, things had gone smoothly for the teen at his new place of employment.

Things were actually going a lot better than he expected. It was probably an insult to the Michaelis' that Ciel expected his tenure as their nanny to go horribly, mainly because of their differences in socioeconomic statuses, but he was grateful that at the end of the day he was yet to be belittled for having less and knowing less about their lifestyle. Some days, it almost felt as if Ciel Phantomhive belonged.

Some days.

The best thing about being employed by the Michaelis' had to be Sieglinde. Sieglinde was the sweetest little girl on earth; Ciel was certain. Of course, like any six year-old, she did have her moments where she got a little cranky. It was expected.

Some days she flat out refused dinner in hopes that her mom would bring her home some of the baby cupcakes she loved so much from the bakery in downtown Manhattan, and it took some work to compromise with the first grader.

Despite all of these things, Ciel adored how this little person could have such a huge personality.

She loved asking questions and learning more about any and everything. She loved to keep busy, and there was never a dull moment. Ciel really liked how Sieglinde didn't judge him like other people did, mainly his peers. He felt like he could be himself around her—four eyed with the large, black frames and less than fashionable clothing, tons of his favorite tv episodes on his laptop, his obsession with his favorite authors—she didn't care. Sieglinde was basically the coolest new friend he could ask for.

Ciel had to admit that he was rather surprised when the two weeks had ended and Hannah and Sebastian didn't approach him about having found a new nanny from the agency. The teenager was certain that Hannah would've made good on her initial plan to get him a desk job with some magazine company and find herself a nanny that was more experienced—one that she'd maybe feel safer leaving Sieglinde with. Surprisingly though, that didn't happen. Last Friday, Mr. Michaelis got home while Ciel was making himself and Sieglinde peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Before he could even greet the man hello or ask how his current case was going, Sebastian had handed him his paycheck and asked Ciel when he'd be moving in.

It wasn't like he didn't have an option. Ciel could've told the family no if he wanted to. They knew where he stood on the whole live-in thing initially. But, Ciel's outlook on the situation had changed. He enjoyed spending time with the little Michaelis, and Sebastian and Hannah were really nice bosses. Well, Hannah was pleasant for the most part. Sometimes. He could deal. The pay would go up if he were to move in, he would get a free room and board, and he'd have weekends off. It wasn't a gig at the Science Museum but he wasn't going to complain.

He moved his belongings in on Sunday evening. It wasn't much—more books than anything— and his collection of vneck shirts and suspenders did add up over his first couple years in college. Besides that, he was a light mover. One of the Michaelis' drivers picked him up from his dorm room and drove him uptown to the 1212 Fifth Avenue condominiums, and when he arrived, the Michaelis' welcomed him with a little ice cream party. It was the most at home Ciel had felt since leaving his father back in London and starting afresh in America.

Sebastian Michaelis gave him a tour of the building and all of the amenities that were offered. Ciel tried his best to ignore how the man would touch him as he spoke. Mr. Michaelis did a lot of talking, which was fine. Ciel didn't have much to say too often, but he was a good listener. It worked well for their relationship.

When they reached the basement, Sebastian stepped off of the elevator first; his hand on Ciel's back. He showed Ciel the gym and though Ciel doubted he'd be spending any time in there, he nodded and smiled when his boss looked at him and went on and on about how amazing the treadmills and elliptical bikes were, and how they have yoga instructors come in on certain nights of the week. Next, they went to the indoor pool on the third floor. Sebastian told him that there was one on the roof as well that opened during the summer. Ciel nodded, fixing his glasses over his face as they walked close enough through the halls that Mr. Michaelis's arm brushed against Ciel's.

Ciel most certainly wasn't crushing on his straight, married boss, who he just so happened to live with now if that's what you're thinking. Not one bit.

The fifth floor had a coffee shop and one of those restaurants that you'd find in airports or amtrak stations. Residents were sat in the cafés eating or working on their laptops. Sebastian explained that he wasn't much for coffee so he didn't frequent here too often, but there was a cafe on West 20th that he and Sieglinde would take him to one day. She loved their cookies and he loved the hot tea. Ciel smiled at the idea and stuttered out that he'd love to, internally kicking himself for stuttering in the first place.

His first week living with the Michaelis' went decently. The first couple nights it had been hard falling asleep. His bedroom was large, he had a king sized bed with a duvet and a walk-in closet. It was incredibly empty because he barely had any clothes—Ciel was an outfit repeater for the most part—and this being his new sanctuary Mondays through Fridays took some getting used to. Eventually, he got the hang of it though.

It was very convenient being able to wake up and go down the hall to get Sieglinde ready for school. Traveling uptown to the Michaelis residence every day did get old fast, and expensive. Now, he didn't have to worry about that.

Ciel was also thankful he couldn't hear anything from Sebastian and Hannah's bedroom. He had this huge fear before moving in that he'd be able to hear the things they did at night, but it was pleasantly silent.

A week had taught him that he probably couldn't have gotten a better job. He was chauffeured to and from school for starters. Sieglinde was a pleasure to work with. She was smart and needed very little guidance with her homework. She sometimes let him try out new recipes on her at dinner time. Not always, but their experimentation had been fun so far. She wasn't messy, so the light housekeeping he had to do wasn't terrible. The maid handled the laundry, including his. Life was pretty sweet.

His alarm clock went off at 7 o'clock on Friday morning and Ciel found himself groaning. This wasn't so sweet. If there had to be a downside to his new gig as Michaelis family nanny, it was definitely this. Before he had a job, Ciel got two extra hours of sleep a morning on Mondays through Thursdays, and on Fridays he could sleep as late as he wanted to. There were no Friday classes on his schedule, but there were definitely Friday classes on Sieglinde's schedule. Adios to sleeping late. Though to be fair, Ciel tried to remind himself that before he had a job, he was also broke. He could sleep when he was dead.

Ciel put on his glasses and then a shirt before exiting his brand new bedroom. It was his fifth time waking up in the condo but he still hadn't quite gotten used to the glamour of it all. After sleeping on a twin sized bed in a dorm room that you shared with someone else, waking up in a king sized bed in a home that was easily worth 1.5 million dollars could throw you a bit. Ciel shook it off though and focused on what he was supposed to be doing. Yes, living in the Michaelis home was amazing but getting caught up in a lifestyle Ciel knew nothing about could easily become detrimental.

Ciel knocked twice on Sieglinde's bedroom door before entering the green on even more green decorated room. Naturally, it was a struggle to get her up, but Ciel succeeded when he promised bacon pancakes with scrambled eggs and strawberry syrup. He drove a hard bargain.

Rubbing at his eyes beneath his glasses, Ciel went straight into the kitchen and after yawning, began to prepare breakfast. As the water ran and the teen looked for an appropriate skillet, Hannah Michaelis entered with her purse in hand and trench coat thrown over her arm. "Don't forget she has ballet lessons after school and to make sure she doesn't forget her reading response when it's homework time."

Ciel nodded. He learned very quickly that she wasn't the 'Good morning!' type of person.

"The maid should arrive while you're taking Sieglinde to school and you'll be back here before Sebastian and me, so just make sure she does a decent job. I swear she's stealing. I should have cameras installed," Hannah mumbled the latter as she put on her expensive heels. "How'd you sleep?"

Ciel turned the stove on and looked at her. "Well," he answered.

"I'm going to be in the office in and out of meetings all day, so I'll be in late. I'll see you tonight."

Ciel pushed his glasses up his face and forced a smile. He couldn't explain it but he always felt a bit of anxiety when he was around Mrs. Michaelis. It was odd how she could be so intimidating without even trying. "Have a great day."

The woman answered a phone call and exited the condo without another word. Ciel took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Hannah was like a whirlwind. A very powerful whirlwind.

He loosened up a bit. The morning news was turned on in the living room, playing on the 96 inch screen. He listened to the weather report as he prepared breakfast and opened the cap on the mouthwash for Sieglinde when she came out of the bathroom unable to open it. About 15 minutes later, he had breakfast prepared and could start to get himself ready.

Sebastian Michaelis walked in the kitchen dressed in casual business attire. He had a black sweater thrown over a white collared shirt and dark denim jeans. He smiled when he saw Ciel and then smiled harder when he saw the breakfast. "Well good morning, Mr. Phantomhive. Is that food?"

Ciel blushed at the sight of him. A lot of guys caused Ciel to blush from time to time, but none of them had children he watched over or wives that he worked for.

_Get it together, Ciel._

"I'm actually working on a jigsaw puzzle here in the kitchen at the stove."

Sebastian stopped what he was doing—halfway through putting on his watch—and stared at Ciel. The boy's cheeks were scarlet and he looked down at the dishes he washed as he tried to stumble his way out of it.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Michaelis. I—Just, sorry—"

"Your sarcasm is refreshing." Sebastian was beaming as he said it; the smile bright enough to light up the room. Ciel chanced a glance at him and sort of smiled back.

He was honestly afraid that his boss would get upset at him for the quip. God only knows what Hannah would say if he pulled that with her. Sebastian took a seat on the bar stool and watched Ciel. "I didn't know you had it in you, but I like it."

Ciel tried his hardest not to color any redder than he knew he already was. "So you're not mad?"

Sebastian smiled and shook his head no. "I know that you work for my wife and me, Ciel, but that doesn't mean that I'm against you having a little fun. You can feel comfortable around us, I promise."

Ciel placed the dishes in the washer and then smiled at his boss. "I-I'll keep that in mind."

"Great," Sebastian said, looking at his daughter's plate. "Do you think she'd mind if I ate that?"

Ciel laughed as he dried off his hands. "I'd mind if you ate it. I promised her bacon pancakes and eggs if she woke up and she woke up. I have to make good on my promise."

"Ah." Sebastian grinned as he pocketed his cell phone. "Bribery. You'll make a great dad one day."

Ciel smiled, feeling his cheeks heat up once more.

"I can't remember the last time I had breakfast at home. I usually pick something up on my way to the office. I've been a fan of the really greasy stuff as of late. My wife threatened to take my bank card away if she saw 'Remedy Diner' printed on our bank statements."

"Well if you're in a rush I can put some egg and cheese on a bagel for you. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble, and that stuff's no good for you anyway."

Sebastian watched Ciel until he looked up at him and smiled, nodding a bit. "That would be great. Maybe one day I'll work my way up to bacon pancake status."

The nanny rolled his eyes playfully, making his boss laugh. "Maybe so."

They were quiet while Ciel worked. Sebastian glanced into the living room and listened to the entertainment news. Sometimes he'd sneak a peek at Ciel but not for too long because it was evident the teen didn't feel comfortable with him watching. Then he realized that he was watching and quickly looked away. After a while he got wrapped up in the television programming. He could hear his daughter singing to herself as she got ready for school and he smiled, turning back to Ciel who smiled as well. Maybe some light conversation would be nice.

"So what does one Ciel Phantomhive do on his Friday off from NYU? Oh, thank you."

Ciel placed the cup of tea down in front of Sebastian and nodded as a 'you're welcome'.

"He hangs out with his friend Alois and hopefully doesn't let Alois get him into any trouble."

Sebastian swallowed a taste of the tea and then added a couple spoonfuls of sugar.

"Alois, huh? Is he cute?"

Ciel laughed a bit as he went back to scrambling eggs. "Um. People certainly think so but he's my friend. Alois also has a plethora of boyfriends and I'm not one of them, nor do I have any intention on being. Not that he'd want me to be."

Sebastian watched as the seriously shy kid finally loosened up a bit and looked comfortable talking to him. It felt like an achievement of sorts. It'd been three weeks and up until this moment, Ciel usually laughed politely and went back to being quiet when Sebastian had said anything to him. The man was almost jealous of his daughter for being able to have a decent conversation with Ciel. He liked this more forward side of Ciel and hoped to see more of him. "There's nothing wrong with being single."

Ciel toasted the bagel and looked up at Sebastian; his blue eyes a bit brighter through the lenses of his wide-framed glasses. "That's easy for the happily married man to say."

Ciel found it weird when the small smile Sebastian had slowly began to fade away.

He didn't push the conversation any further, instead grabbing a bit of foil to hold his boss's egg and cheese sandwich in. Once he was done, he handed it over and forced a smile. "Here you go."

Sebastian perked up and smiled back, accepting it. "This looks amazing, Ciel. Thank you."

"Certainly," Ciel replied, noticing Sieglinde run out from the hall with her long, dark hair swinging. She jumped into her dad's arms and kissed him goodbye.

"Oh, thank you Princess! I love you."

Sieglinde squeezed him tightly before hopping down and going to her breakfast.

"I love you too Dad. Have a great day."

"You too sweetheart. Goodbye Ciel."

Ciel waved a bit as he watched Sebastian walk over to his briefcase, already eating the bagel. "Have a good day."

"I'll try." He looked back and tipped his tea cup. "Stay out of trouble with Alois."

Ciel smiled and nodded.

Sieglinde squirted strawberry syrup over her food after her father closed the door behind himself. "So when am I going to meet this Alois kid?"

"Hopefully never," the teen said, brushing his hair back with his fingers. "I like you the way you are without being influenced in any way by Alois Trancy."

She smiled a little and grabbed her fork. "Did my mommy leave?"

"Yes." Ciel looked at her. "She didn't say goodbye to you this morning?"

"No," Sieglinde told him, a bit more ok with that then Ciel thought she should be.

"Sometimes she forgets."

Ciel frowned a little before catching himself and looking around the kitchen. He began to pack her lunchbox, trying not to think about what was just said.

"You should get dressed. I have like twenty minutes to be at school."

Ciel checked the time and his eyes went wide. "Oh! I'll be right back."

Sieglinde laughed at her silly nanny before focusing on her bacon pancakes.

* * *

><p>"So are you excited to hear about this double date?"<p>

Ciel stared down at the menu of the diner his friend brought him to. Alois had this big grin on his face that Ciel ignored, only studying the brunch specials.

Basically, Alois had been trying to get Ciel to double date with him since freshman year, only he'd been unsuccessful.

Until now.

Since Ciel lost a bet that Alois could convince a girl he was straight, he had to agree to go on a stupid double date. Ciel didn't get the point of it. As he told his friend time and time again, he was perfectly fine not dating. He knew he wouldn't be any good at it and to be frank he didn't want to try.

Alois never listened, though.

"Ciel?"

"No. I'm not excited. In fact, I'm dreading it with every fiber of my being."

Alois rolled his eyes and sat back as they awaited the waitress. "He's cute. He's British just like you! With an accent and all."

Ciel looked up at him while taking a drink from his water.

"Ciel," the boy sang with a smile. "You won't be upset with me for long. Not when you meet him."

Ciel placed the cup down and looked around the quiet restaurant. Most people were in school or at work at this time. "You're so busy trying to convince me that I'll like him but who's convincing him that he'll like me? Does he have his own personal Alois saying 'Oh, he's a bit of a geek and he rarely talks but he's ok company!'? Because if not, you should get him one."

Alois rolled his eyes. He had the most difficult guy in all of NYC for a best friend.

He was just as difficult as he was stubborn. "Ciel. You're hot. You have that whole hipster nerdy thing going on that people really dig; you just don't want to work it to your advantage. This is you, Ciel. You're not trying to be that guy, you are that guy. These other dudes out here are posers."

Ciel ignored him.

"You don't believe me for whatever reason but a lot of guys ask me what's up with you. A lot of guys are interested, Ciel. You're just so comfortable being in your shell that you can't see it."

Ciel still didn't say anything. His friend sighed.

"I just want to help you get out there, Ciel. One date. You're missing a lot of enjoyable things out in the world. We're attending a university in the city of New York. You should relax and take advantage of it."

"I guess."

After the waitress took their orders, Ciel fiddled at his blue bowtie and tried his hardest to avoid Alois's eyes. If it wasn't for that dumb bet, he wouldn't be doing this.

"What would help you feel more confident, Ciel?"

This earned Alois a snort and then laughter. Ciel looked out the window the two were sat by and shook his head. "A whole new personality, to be honest. I've gotten used to the fact that I'm not a people person, and that's fine by me. I don't really want to be. I like things the way they are."

Alois nodded. "Ok. That's fair. And to be honest, I like you the way you are as well. But how about you do something for me?" The older teen laughed softly as his friend pulled his glasses off, and Ciel gave him an uncertain look as he cleaned them on his shirt.

"That all depends on what you need done."

"Fair enough." Alois cleared his throat. "Let's go shopping—"

"I absolutely hate shopping—"

"I know," Alois said. "But this is a onetime thing only. I'll pay for everything."

Ciel took a deep breath. "I'm listening."

"I'll take you to one of my favorite places in the heart of SoHo. We'll get you some nice clothes that actually fit you. I won't change your overall style, just…"

Alois made a face as he tipped his head to the side, observing Ciel's current outfit. The bowtie was cute. The suspenders were like his trademark. "I'll just introduce you to something new."

Ciel rubbed at the nape of his neck as he considered all of this. It made him feel uneasy. "I think that if you want me to change the way I dress for some guy then you want me to be someone else. If you're afraid I'll embarrass you then maybe I shouldn't attend this double date. Maybe you should take your guy out by yourself."

"Ciel," Alois began, shaking his head and rubbing at his temple. "I just asked you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new for once because I care for you. You've been wearing the same style of clothing since before you could dress yourself. Change is weird for you Ciel, I get that. But maybe if we can introduce you to something new you'll see that there's so much out there to offer.

I don't want to change you. I'm just hoping to help."

Ciel watched his friend for a moment before looking away. He did believe Alois. He'd been one of the only friends he had since moving to New York, though there were a few he was close to back in London. Alois only wanted to help, and if Ciel wasn't comfortable at least it was only the one time.

"Ciel?" Alois was smiling now. "Please?"

"Fine."

His friend grinned again and placed both his hands on the table. "Really? I promise you won't hate me after this!"

Ciel smiled softly, looking down at his hands. "I hope you're good at keeping promises."

* * *

><p>Ciel ended up taking a taxi back uptown after the little shopping spree with his friend. They'd gotten a ton of new clothing that Ciel wasn't particularly fond of, but they weren't terrible. He didn't normally skinny jeans but Alois said his ass and legs looked incredible in them.<p>

"I didn't know you had such an amazing shape. British guy is going to eat you up."

Ciel decided that when he picked Sieglinde up from school, they'd go get her mini cupcakes and then head back to the condo so that he could show her his new outfits. There was still a couple hours before her day was over though, so Ciel figured he could get back 'home' and start working on assignments and maybe prep for dinner before getting her from school.

The doorman was actually nice to Ciel now that he'd moved in. He offered to get Ciel help carrying his bags up to the 15th floor, but the boy told him he was fine, regardless of the fact he tripped over his own foot juggling all of the new clothes. A man exiting the elevator as Ciel entered smirked at his clumsiness.

"Careful, kid."

When he got to the Michaelis' front door and unlocked it, Ciel was surprised to see Hannah in the living room. She was applying her lipstick and stepping into her designer heels when she realized that Ciel had entered the apartment.

"Oh? Ciel…?" The woman looked around quickly and reached for her coat. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

One of Ciel's bags slipped out of his hand and he struggled to hold onto the others as he nudged the front door closed behind him. "Oh… n-no this is my day off. I don't have class on F-Fridays."

Hannah looked down at the bags in Ciel's arms as the teen attempted to push his glasses up with his tricep. "I do remember you saying something like that. Hm. I'll make note of it."

Ciel placed everything down around the coatrack and took off his jacket. "Is everything ok? I know you had to work late."

"Oh, everything is great." Hannah smiled, though it wasn't hard to see how fake it was. "I came back for lunch. I'm on my way out right now."

Ciel nodded.

"If you can pick up Sebastian's dry cleaning after you take Sieglinde to her ballet class, that'd be great."

"Sure." Ciel watched the woman shrug into her coat and then sway sexily as she walked to the door. "No problem."

"If you head out for the weekend before I get home tonight, have a great weekend and I'll see you Monday."

"You too."

The door closed and Ciel let go of a breath he wasn't even aware was locked inside his chest. The teen stood there for a moment trying to get his head on straight, and once he calmed down, he carried the shopping bags of clothes into his bedroom and laid down for a while.

* * *

><p>The day flew by after Ciel's run in with Hannah. There was dance class and homework (Ciel liked getting Sieglinde's homework out of the way and giving her parents the weekend to relax) and going to the dry cleaners and cooking dinner.<p>

Ciel didn't get a chance to model his clothes for Sieglinde because they were both beat from the busy day, and chilling in front of the TV to watch a movie was much more appealing.

Sebastian got in a bit after six and literally went on about how good the egg and cheese on a bagel was for four and a half minutes. After they had a quick chat about how the day went for Sieglinde, Sebastian allowed the teenager to go home for the weekend. He let Ciel know that he was going to do any work he had from home on Monday, so he'd see him then.

The weekend went by slowly. Ciel spent it in a bookstore spending the money he budgeted for new books there, and also in his dorm room reading those new books. On Sunday, he got text-yelled at by Sebastian who found out he picked up his dry cleaning for him. Ciel didn't bother telling Sebastian that Hannah instructed him to do so, he was sure that Sebastian knew anyway.

Besides, it was a cute conversation where Ciel tried to convince his boss that it wasn't a big deal, but the man promised he was capable of picking up dry cleaning on his own. As Ciel sat in Central Park, enjoying the lovely spring afternoon in May, he and Sebastian texted back and forth about the book he was reading and the man gave him a couple recommendations before having to go to dinner with his in-laws. Ciel thought Sebastian was kind to chat with him outside of work. It was almost like they were friends, and it was nice to actually like your boss.

Well, not in that way, but Mr. Michaelis was a cool guy.

The next morning when Ciel arrived back at the Michaelis condo to get Sieglinde for school, Hannah already had the girl in her uniform and ready. Ciel greeted them both before the woman was leaving the apartment, on her way to Boston to attend a business meeting. Ciel was surprised that Sebastian wasn't around since the man said he wasn't going into the office that day, but he was partner in the law firm. Anything could've happened and he could've been called into work.

Ciel checked himself in the mirror and made sure he had everything as Sieglinde walked up behind him. "I'm ready!"

"You look super pretty, Sieglinde. Shall we?"

"We shall!" She took his hand and they headed out the door.

Although Sieglinde was a super fun first grader to be around, her friends weren't.

Maybe that was an unfair generalization of the boy to make but he didn't care.

Not after one of them had gotten chocolate milk all over his pants and blue sneakers. That was probably going to be the first and last time he stayed with her while the class ate breakfast.

Ciel checked the time as the driver dropped him back at the condo. He was definitely going to be late for class at this rate because there was no way he was going to school without showering the stickiness off of his legs.

Ciel picked out a new outfit and then grabbed his towel and body wash, rushing into the bathroom at the end of the hall. The condo was as quiet as it always was and he tried to shower quickly, wondering just how bad his professor's sarcastic comments when he showed up late would make him feel, as well as the judgmental eyes of the other people in his classroom.

The teen sighed softly as he forced himself out of the bathroom. The water pressure was fantastic and he definitely wanted to stay longer. As he headed back to his room—slippers on and towel wrapped around his waist, still wet from the hot shower—his heart just about stopped as he saw Sebastian walking down the hallway. Sebastian was dressed as if he was coming from the gym and the sweat covering his body and drenching his hair alluded to the fact that he'd definitely been working out. He had his earphones in and was singing along to a song Ciel was unfamiliar with when they caught eyes.

Sebastian felt himself freeze in his spot.

Ciel, their nanny, was standing at the end of the hall by his bedroom door.

Sebastian's eyes dropped from the boy's red face, down to his shirtless body. He looked at his wet torso and focused specifically on his smooth pale chest before finding his eyes glued to the V line of his hips—a slim waist wrapped tightly in a towel.

Sebastian closed his eyes when he realized he was staring. He swallowed hard, and shook his head. After picking up the music player that had dropped and wrapping his earphones around them, Sebastian licked his dry lips and spoke.

"Ciel. H-Hey. Good morning."

Ciel hadn't moved at all. Sebastian wasn't sure if he was even breathing. The man tried to smile as he thought about how weird it was that he stared at this guy for as long as he had, but he weirded himself out probably just as much as he weirded Ciel out. Smiling was kind of hard. Other things were getting hard too.

Other things that didn't get hard when Sebastian looked at males. He swallowed hard again and tried to speak clearer this time.

"I just got back from the gym… I didn't expect you to be here… I'm um, I'm sorry—"

Fail.

"Sieglinde's friend got chocolate milk all over me," Ciel blurted out at once. His eyes moved up and down Sebastian's body before he turned away, staring at his bedroom door. "Um… I'm… I had to come back and take a shower and now I may be late for school so I need to get ready."

"I'll get showered really quickly and then I'll take you."

Ciel looked back at Sebastian and both of their cheeks were red at this point.

Sebastian smiled a little and then gestured to his room. "I'll drive you there. Cool?"

Ciel realized he was still in front of his boss—his incredibly gorgeous, muscular boss—and that he'd be entirely naked if this towel were to fall off right now. He nodded his head before disappearing into his bedroom without a word.

Sebastian licked his lips and stared at the spot Ciel stood previously. He hadn't moved for quite some time, but eventually convinced himself to get rid of the images going through his head so that he could get in the shower.

It was a very, very cold shower.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Let me know what you think! c:**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the slow update! It'll hopefully be faster next time, but I have been getting so caught up in *sweats and looks away* Fifty Shades of Grey fan fiction *coughs louder than ****necessary to distract you*. ANYWAYS, ONWARD WITH THE STORY! **

* * *

><p>The car ride was awkward, but that wasn't a surprise. Sebastian expected it to be awkward, and there wasn't a doubt that Ciel anticipated the tension as well. They both had just experienced an intense stare down in the hallway of the condo. But it wasn't just any intense stare down—one of them was still wet from a shower and had only a towel wrapped around his waist, and the other had on the tightest sleeveless workout shirt while sweat covered his arms and made his hair damp, and wore shorts that hugged his muscular thighs. It was the King of All Stare Downs.<p>

Ciel couldn't remember the last time his mind took him to a place where he wanted to be pinned against the wall by someone, but it had been quite some time since that wet dream happened. He was pretty sure the guy in said dream was faceless and nameless—he was sure that his imagination was running wild with the _idea _of someone driving him crazy, and the thought alone made him blush.

But this time, he knew exactlywho it was in his fantasies. Seeing his boss standing there and staring backsent Ciel to a place no other had sent him.

A floral delivery truck stopped short at a red light Sebastian thought the driver definitely could have beaten. Sebastian placed his foot on the brakes and said a couple curses for the driver ahead of him as he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. A song was playing, a genre Ciel never listened to. They hadn't spoken since they said goodbye to the doorman and the teenager wasn't sure if he was grateful for that or concerned by it. Sebastian always had something to say; something interesting to fill the quiet void, even if it was what most people considered small talk. It probably wasn't cause for concern though. Hopefully. After all, the two of them did have one hell of a morning.

As he adjusted his glasses, Ciel felt his phone vibrate from inside his backpack. He reached for it while wondering what Alois wanted now, knowing the only other person who ever texted him was right by his side behind the steering wheel.

Even after the light turned green, the pair barely inched down 5th Avenue in Sebastian's white BMW. Traffic had been pretty bad. Ciel was really late, and part of him had to acknowledge that his professor wouldn't even allow him into class. The text he read pretty much confirmed that.

**From Alois:**

_Where are you? Last we spoke you'd dropped off baby Michaelis and was on your way. You're usually here before Professor and earlier he refused to let that a chick in when she showed up 5 minutes late. There's no way he'd let you in even though the guy thinks you're the greatest thing since Einstein. I'm a little concerned so please text me back, Ciel._

Ciel didn't know he sighed until Sebastian had commented on it, and when he heard the man's voice, he jumped a little.

"Everything okay?"

"Hm? Oh," Ciel smiled shyly and nodded, looking back down at his phone. Sebastian didn't press him after that, only focusing on the road once more and cursing when a taxi tried to cut him off. They went back to being quiet as Ciel replied to his friend.

**To Alois:**

_Srry, Alois. I had a very long morning. I'm trying to get to campus but the traffic is a bit alarming right now. It's one of those times where I maybe should've gotten on the train._

Sebastian stared out the window, humming along to the song. His main focus that morning had been trying his best not to think about seeing Ciel the way he found him earlier in their hallway, because every time he did think about it, he got very, very excited. The type of excited he hadn't gotten in a while. The type of excited he didn't think he'd ever get over a guy. Well… at least not since college. College didn't count, though. Everyone was a little curiousin college and he probably had a few beers in his system at the time. Back to the topic at hand; there was so much wrong with this, and he couldn't come up with an excuse as to why it happened, so he just chose to force himself not to remember the way Ciel's skin looked so creamy and kissable, or the way he could easily run his tongue along the dips in his abdomen muscles and give the teen something he'd never felt befo—ok this was notworking.

"Fuck."

As he stopped at another traffic light, Ciel turned to look at him. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

_Did I say that out loud? _Sebastian wondered. "Oh! Um, nothing, sorry. I just, I was thinking that maybe I should go down 6th Avenue. It would make more sense, right?"

Ciel shrugged a bit and smiled. His cheeks were turning pink as he forced himself to look down at his cell phone.

The awkward wouldn't end for a while, Sebastian was sure of that. The few times that he and Ciel made eye contact after what the older man had branded 'The Incident,' Ciel would quickly blush and look away. Part of Sebastian wondered if it was because Ciel found him attractive, but the rest of Sebastian told him not to entertain that idea. What would he even do with that information? Of course besides try to keep his distance so that he didn't make the family's employee any more nervous or maybe even make him want to find a new job. Sebastian didn't want to mess up a good thing. He wanted Ciel to stay around and in no way wanted him uncomfortable while under his roof.

He wanted Ciel to stay for Sieglinde, of course. Sieglinde needed someone she trusted and admired around, and someone that her family respected. His wife needed someone that could be trusted too, and they definitely found that in Ciel. Sebastian… Sebastian just needed to stop watching Ciel's long fingers as they tapped at the screen of his cell phone. He was the one to sigh this time as he shook his head, signaling right on 57th street and driving over to 6th Avenue.

**From Alois:**

_Well can you get your driver (I can't believe you have a driver, I'm so fucking jealous of you, you asshole) to drop you off by a train station? I mean, not that it really matters because you're going to miss this class but at least you'll be around for your second one._

Ciel looked out the window and saw a tourist family smiling as they posed for pictures. He looked up at the red light as he thought and then replied.

**To Alois:**

_I guess, but I'm with Mr. Michaelis right now. I probably should let him off the hook because today is his day off and he rarely gets any of those, but I don't know if he'll even go along with me telling him that I can get there on my own. He said he'd drive me and he's pretty stubborn, but in a good way._

"Sixth Avenue looks a lot better."

Ciel peeked up and nodded. "It does."

"I…" Sebastian trailed off. He took a deep breath, hoping that he could phrase what he wanted to say in a way that would make things better between the two of them going forward, as opposed to upping the awkward. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't know you were there and I definitely didn't know you'd be—"

"How could you?" Ciel rushed the words out louder than he'd spoken all morning, succeeding in interrupting his boss before Sebastian could say the word naked. "It's not your fault at all. It's nobody's fault."

Sebastian nodded. "I know but I just don't want things to be weird. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

**From Alois:**

_So you're with Mr. Michaelis? Dude, don't bother coming to class. Take the day off. Didn't you say he was hot?_

Ciel felt his cheeks heating up as he put his phone back into his backpack. "It was a little weird I guess but I'm not uncomfortable. I'll just try… not to wander around in my towel." He smiled and Sebastian laughed a bit as he drove a little more freely now, this road less populated. Ciel fidgeted with his glasses. "We can talk about something else if you'd like. Don't worry about earlier. I promise I'm fine."

Sebastian turned the radio's volume down a bit. "I'm happy to hear it. And alright, that sounds like a plan. So tell me more about yourself."

Ciel ignored his vibrating phone as he thought about where to start. "There isn't much for me to tell. You're going to get bored easily like most people do when I'm asked this question."

Sebastian smiled. "I bet you I won't, Ciel."

Ciel shrugged in response. He knew that his boss would probably pretend to be interested in attempts to spare the nerdy teen's feelings, but he didn't want to put him through the pain of sitting through _The Life and Times of Ciel Phantomhive _to begin with.

"Are you going to answer that?"

Ciel noticed his phone started to vibrate more incessantly this time. He sighed and dug for it. "It's only Alois."

Sebastian didn't reply. Was this Alois kid more than a friend? Ciel could tell him if Alois was his boyfriend. "I don't mind if you take the call, you know."

Ciel looked at the raven haired man for a moment and then accepted the call. "Yes?"

"Why'd you stop replying? Are you two messing around?"

"Good morning to you too, Alois." Ciel stared out the window to hide his blushing face from Sebastian.

"How are you calling me from the lecture hall?"

"I stepped out of the lecture hall. Listen, I know he's married and all but he'd be great preparation for our double date on Friday. Skip the day and stay with him."

Ciel closed his eyes, rubbing at his temple. What part of _Sebastian Michaelis is married to a __**woman**_didn't Alois understand? "I'm not entirely sure I have the patience for this conversation, Alois. Can I call you back later? Or I'll just… we'll see each other soon."

"No we won't. As a matter of fact, if you come here, I'm going to be waiting outside the building for you, and I'll even introduce myself to Mr. Michaelis—"

"Oh my god, Alois."

Sebastian glanced over at the young man in the passenger side as he drove, wondering what the conversation was about. He started to hum along to the melody playing as they approached lower Manhattan, eventually singing when the song started.

Alois obviously heard the voice based on his response. "IS that HIM singing? Shit. He sounds beautiful. Can you imagine him singing around your cock?"

"I'm going to go. Talk to you later."

"I'll be waiting in front of the building."

Ciel hung up and threw his head back against the seat's rest, taking a slow, deep breath. Sebastian smiled at him even though he was a tad bit concerned at the stress lines on Ciel's forehead.

"So I take it that this is what conversations with Alois reduce you to?"

"He's so annoying," Ciel added with a smile. Sebastian smiled too.

"I want to meet him. I bet I'll get a lot more out of him about you than you're willing to spill, Ciel."

Ciel opened his eyes at that. That sounded absolutely terrible_. _No. Fucking. Way. "Um, Mr. Michaelis?"

"Mr. Phantomhive?" Sebastian teased, looking at him as they stopped for traffic. "What's up?"

"You're probably going to think I'm crazy after we spent so much time in the car trying to get to NYU, but, I don't know if I want to go to school today. I think a day off would be great."

Sebastian lifted an eyebrow as he looked at Ciel suspiciously. "You don't exactly seem like the type to skip class. Excuse me for making judgments on your behalf, but…"

"I don't usually," Ciel said. "I know finals are coming up soon and all, but I'm going to ace them anyway. I'd just rather relax. I've made every other class all semester long and a day wouldn't hurt me. This morning was crazy… you know?"

Sebastian glanced over at him before looking back at the road. "So where would you like to go? We can go to a bookstore if you'd like. I'll show you that book I was talking about. You'd love it."

Sebastian pulled over in front of a diner and looked at Ciel. "We can go to the one by Union Square. It's my favorite. There are also some smaller bookstores in Brooklyn that I'm crazy about—"

"You don't have to feel obligated to take me anywhere, Sebastian." Ciel fixed his bowtie out of his nervousness, needing something to do with his hands. "I um… it's your day off. I don't want to impose or make you take me anywhere—"

"You don't want to hang out with me? Am I too old?" Sebastian was teasing but Ciel wasn't so sure. "Are you gonna go meet up with Alois or something? I can take the heart break."

Ciel rolled his eyes and looked at his boss. "I doubt I'd ditch you to go hang out with Alois. He'd probably just talk about this double date for the whole entire time and I am not looking forward to it. It's a blind date on my half."

Sebastian looked at Ciel for a moment before replying. "A blind date? … That sounds like fun."

"Ha. If you say so."

His boss licked his dry lips. "Well I met Hannah like that, believe it or not. A mutual friend invited each of us to this party on campus and promised we'd love each other. At first, we didn't get along at all but look at us now. A blind date got us Sieglinde."

Ciel smiled at that. Maybe all blind dates weren't from hell, but that didn't change the fact that he wasn't looking forward to Friday. "I suppose that's true. What if I don't really care about the whole dating thing? At least not now. One day, no doubt about it. And I don't know; things were probably different for you two. You're both successful and you're both attractive people. That's a no brainer. "

Sebastian was quiet at first, only shrugging in response. He thought about it and turned to Ciel. "About the dating thing…about what you said, that's fair. I don't think you'll have a lot of fun if you feel pressured to go. But at the same time, you won't know for sure until after your date, right? It could be the opposite of what you expected it to be."

Ciel shrugged. "That's what Alois says but I'm pretty sure. I don't know though. You both could be right."

They fell quiet again and Sebastian continued when he'd formulated a coherent thought. "When I met Hannah, we weren't all that successful by the way. We were still in college—our junior years at that. I wasn't even sure of what I wanted to do… well that's not entirely true." Sebastian ran his fingers along the leather steering wheel and Ciel watched the action, not wanting to look at the man's face. "I knew what I wanted to do but my mother and father would never be on board with it. I respected the fact that they were paying for my education. That's where law school came in. But, back to the story… we were young and she was a good girl with a good head on her shoulders. We began dating. It was cool. After a few months, we'd broken up, gotten back together, and broke up again. She thought I wasn't ready for commitment and I doubted that I was, too. Well not with Hannah because… we had our differences. I didn't know if I liked the person I was when I was with her, but eventually we worked through all of it and focused on each other."

Ciel smiled, albeit sadly. "People can change for the ones they love."

Sebastian nodded. "I wouldn't say I did a whole 180 but I did grow up. I think I had to, though. We didn't plan on getting pregnant with Sieglinde in our senior year at Princeton but we did, and I did what I thought was best for the both of us and proposed."

The radio continued to play at a low volume. Ciel frowned at that. It sounded like the only reason Sebastian and Hannah were together was because of their little girl, and while it was probably for the best, he didn't know if settling was what either Sebastian or Hannah wanted. He'd probably do the same if he had a little girl or boy as well. Growing up with your parents separated must be hard and he'd hate to put his kid through that. The Michaelis' must have felt the same way.

"So you two worked through it for Sieglinde, but are you happy?"

Sebastian turned to look at Ciel and was surprised when he locked eyes with the blue ones hiding behind the large framed glasses. It was odd having Ciel not turn away or blush, but this was a nice difference. Ciel's eyes were beautiful. What did he ask again?

Oh yeah.

"Well…" Sebastian began. "I'm happy that I have Sieglinde. I love my daughter and I do love my wife. Things aren'tgreatbetween us. They probably aren't even good between us but what marriage is perfect? We're 29 and have been married for six years. You'd think I'd have an understanding of some things but it's still like I'm new at this."

Ciel nodded.

"We could do better in our communication and I know we're busy and all but, I would love it if there was more of an effort put forth. A majority of the time I feel like I'm in a relationship by myself, or that I'm pulling all of the weight. I feel like whenever we organize a date night, something comes up. Something work related. Except for last month, but the date was like… soforced that it was almost painful. I think that Sieglinde notices these things too and it's the last thing I'd want."

Ciel gave him a sad smile. "She's too smart for her own good. I'm pretty sure she gets that from the both of you."

Sebastian laughed and looked away, back down at the steering wheel. "The girl is brilliant. And I'm sorry for dumping all of this on you. I feel like I deterred you from blind dates instead of encouraging you to go on one."

Ciel smiled, looking down at his hands. "Don't worry about it. No relationship is perfect but I have faith you both will pull through."

Sebastian stared out the window.

"I promised my friend I'd go anyway. He even bought me new outfits and everything. I have to admit though, I feel like changing anything about myself to impress someone is a cop out. Alois thinks it's just trying something new but…" Ciel shrugged. "Honestly, I feel like he wants to create a new Ciel just so that I'll have a boyfriend but everything will be based on a lie."

Sebastian looked over at Ciel. "You're amazing the way you are."

He blushed, shrugging again. "I'm glad you think so. But I'm not exactly boyfriend material. There's a competitive market here in NYC."

"I suppose," Sebastian said with a smile. "But my thing is, you can change your outfit and still stay true to yourself. Just be honest and be Ciel Phantomhive; same interests and dislikes and things that make you _you_. If you do that, I doubt this date of yours will give a damn about the clothes. Hell, maybe he'll even try getting you out of them—"

"Oh. My. God." Ciel covered his face with both hands and laughed; his boss chuckling at his reaction.

"I mean, once that happens, trust mehe'll like what he sees."

Ciel laughed again, reaching forward to turn on the AC. "It's a bit hot."

"Your cheeks are so red," Sebastian said with a laugh. "Ok. I'll stop teasing. But ultimately Ciel, it's up to you. So…" Sebastian turned forward in his seat and bit on his bottom lip as he checked his phone. "Where should I take you? It's almost noon."

Ciel checked the time and sighed. "Yeah, no sense in going to classes. We can hang around until it's time to get Sieglinde, I guess. She and I made plans to do a fashion show and a runway type of thing in the living room tonight. She wants to see all of my new outfits and help me pick one for Friday."

Sebastian internally cheered at the 'we' part of Ciel's sentence. "That sounds great. I'm going to be a judge as well. No work for me tonight. But first, she and I will take you to the cafe we always go to!" Sebastian began to pull the car out of their spot. "So, are we off to the bookstore or back to home?"

Ciel smiled. Mr. Michaelis was honestly adorable. "Books first, home second."

"Sounds like a plan," Sebastian said with a smile.

Ciel looked at his phone, typing a text.

**To Alois:**

_I'll see you tomorrow._

* * *

><p>The day went by much too quickly in Ciel's opinion. He and Sebastian spent a couple hours, if not a little more, in the bookstore at Union Square. They read <em>Zero at the Bone <em>in its entirety in the corner of the enormous book store, sitting on the carpeted floor with their sides pressed together. It probably would've been easier to buy the book and take it back to the condo but there was something about lounging in the bookstore and taking turns reading that both men found… more appealing. For Ciel, it may've been that his boss didn't see him strolling through the bookstore partially nude, but that was neither nor there.

After they finished, Sebastian made no effort to get up. They sat there and talked about how amazing the story was for a while before Ciel stood up and started browsing the aisle again. Sebastian watched him pick out a couple books before he stood as well, taking them from Ciel's hands when they got to the registrar and paying despite the teen's many protests.

They got takeout on the way back to the condo and ate once they arrived, mostly in silence. Being back in the condo reminded them of that morning, and Ciel felt his cheeks turning pink every time he looked in the direction of the hallway. He felt that Sebastian must've sensed it because of the man's smirk when they caught eyes, but eventually Sebastian would look back down at his food and pretend that he was clueless to the things going on in Ciel's head.

After disappearing into their separate rooms for a while, Ciel came out first and ended up in the living room. He watched something on Sci-Fi before that bored him, and then he turned on Netflix. When Sebastian came out, he was dressed in a dark track suit with a t-shirt underneath. Ciel smiled at his boss as Sebastian took a seat next to him and looked up at the screen.

"So how much time is there before Sieglinde is out from school? I would love to take a quick nap before then."

Sebastian stretched out a bit; his black-socked feet up on the coffee table. "There's about an hour and a half. I'll pick her up today though, so you can nap away if you'd like."

Ciel considered it as he looked up at the movie playing. "I guess I will. She'll be so excited to see you, you know."

Sebastian smiled. "You can relax. I want to spend some more time with her so I'll help with homework and getting her ready for bed tonight and all." Sebastian turned to look at the nanny who had his head propped on one of the sofa pillows; body folded into the side of the beige couch. "You're going to need all of your energy for the fashion show tonight."

Ciel smiled, rubbing at his temple above his glasses. "I'm nervous about that. What if Sieglinde thinks I look ridiculous in the new clothes? I already know I'm going to look stupid."

"You'll look great," Sebastian told him. "I'm certain the guy will like you regardless of what you're wearing, Ciel. That is if he has any good sense. And if he doesn't have any good sense then you shouldn't waste your time on him. "

Ciel played with the ends of the pillow as he listened. "You know he's British like us? He could probably get a ton of cute guys on his accent alone. People are into that. I wish my accent didn't fade over time. "

Sebastian stared at the television as he took in that statement. "Are you into British guys?"

Ciel blushed, not believing they were about to partake in this conversation. "I don't know if I have a type, per se, but if I did it would definitely be an intelligent, independent thinker—maybe someone who is passionate in what his interests are and doesn't care what other people have to say about him because of what he likes. It doesn't necessarily matter where he's from or how he speaks."

Sebastian listened to him and nodded, turning to face the teen with a small smile. "It sounds like you have a type, but that's a great answer. That says a lot about you. What are you interested in or passionate about?"

Ciel bit his lip and stared up at the high ceiling as he thought. "I'm definitely passionate about writing and reading. I also draw but not as often as I'd like."

Sebastian hummed. "What do you write?"

"Mostly short stories for fun, but I really want to go into journalism more than anything. I used to write for my high school paper. I basically wrote the high school paper," he said with a smile that looked to be a bit forced. "I was teased but I didn't care too much. That was one thing I actually loved being a part of, and in high school, there wasn't a lot that made me happy. I think that if I met someone who was the same way, I'd be attracted to that."

Sebastian laid down now. His head was by Ciel's chest and his feet were propped on the arm of the couch. Ciel moved aside a bit so that they could both be comfortable, but he couldn't deny how tense he felt being this close to his boss. No matter how much he wanted to forget what happened that morning, he knew for sure that the embarrassment he felt would be etched into his memory forever, along with the image of his boss standing there looking as sexyas he did. Sebastian spoke and distracted him from his thoughts.

"I admire you for that, honestly. I kind of did the opposite of what you did, and I let people tell me that my passions weren't worth a damn and that I should make a life for myself doing something that would keep me and my family well off… financially and socially."

Ciel looked down at him. Sebastian was still looking at the ceiling, but he could tell the man had a lot on his mind by the look on his face alone. And wow, he was gorgeous. _Focus. _"What is that you were passionate about?" Ciel asked instead.

"Not _were_," Sebastian said. "I still am passionate about it. Music is everything to me. But, my parents thought that I'd be wasting my time pursuing that and I listened."

Ciel was quiet.

"It's mainly because they were the ones paying for my schooling. But also because I really respect my mother and father and going against their wishes… I just wouldn't do it." Sebastian realized after a while that Ciel really wasn't saying anything. Ciel rarely spoke but, he knew why he was quiet this time. It had less to be about him being shy and more about him being disappointed. "I guess that means you wouldn't be interested in me, huh?"

Ciel smiled, placing a hand on Sebastian's shoulder without thinking twice about it. "I heard you singing in the car and you're incredible."

Sebastian moved closer into the teen, his eyes still focused on the ceiling. "Thank you."

"And I can understand your situation. But the thing is, you're almost 30 right? What's stopping you from doing what you want to now?"

Sebastian shrugged, sighing a bit. "I do have a family and that's my priority."

"You can't convince me that Sieglinde wouldn't support you 110 percent."

"But my wife?" Sebastian said with a laugh, rolling onto his stomach to look at Ciel. Ciel blushed at their closeness and fidgeted with glasses. "Sieglinde isn't my question."

"Well Hannah _is _your wife. Why wouldn't she want you to do something you enjoy?"

"Maybe she thinks it's a waste of time as well," Sebastian said. "And now that I say that out loud, I really do hope that you find someone who is not only passionate about their interests, but loves that you're passionate about yours as well."

Ciel nodded. They looked away from one another; Sebastian down at his nails before he started to bite on a few of them. "You won't know unless you try."

Sebastian nodded. "Yeah. Would you support me though?"

"Without a doubt. Well… if you're any good." He smiled and Sebastian chuckled. "Then definitely."

Sebastian moved his arm and each man adjusted themselves so that they were face to face. Ciel ignored the fact that he was this close to his boss because he and Sebastian were just friends. He liked this. Sebastian was easy to talk to and Ciel never considered himself someone that liked to engage in conversation. Maybe it was because Sebastian was an older guy, and because he was really smart. Maybe it was because he was incredibly hot. Ciel didn't care the reason why, he just liked having someone he felt comfortable around who didn't judge him for being a nerdy kid or attracted to boys only. As he thought about all of this, he realized that Sebastian's hand was on his bicep; the man's thumb rubbing over his smooth, pale skin.

"Remind me to send a thank you card to Best Care Agency for placing you with us."

Ciel was silent at first. He looked at Sebastian and as the man gazed back at him through those long, dark lashes, Ciel fought his hardest not to blush. He didn't want to scare his boss away and make him think that he had a crush on him. Who knew what making Sebastian uncomfortable would do? He'd probably lose a good job over a silly crush and that was really, really stupid. "W-Why would you do that?"

Sebastian looked down at his fingers on Ciel's arm and answered. "I mean, why wouldn't I? You're an awesome caregiver. My daughter adores you. And out of all of this, I got a pretty good friend, at least I think."

Ciel smiled after a moment. "I think so too."

"It's like, not only are you important to this family for everything you do—despite not entirely wanting to be hired in the position they sent you here for—you are important to me as well. It's been a while since I had someone I could just chat with like this." The look on Sebastian's face was so sincere and Ciel was happy that he could be the one that Sebastian opened up to. "It's not that I have nofriends," he said with a laugh. "But you listen to me and I can be honest with you and you always have something clever to say in return. The agency could've sent us a seventy year old woman who barely understands English unless it's to ask for her paycheck. They've done that once."

Ciel couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. Instead of asking what he really wanted to ask about whether or not it was easy to talk to Hannah, he opted on something else. "That must've been fun. No wonder you guys warmed up to me so quickly."

Mr. Michaelis looked at Ciel smiling and did the same. "I think we warmed up to you because you're amazing."

Ciel blushed and looked down at Sebastian's hand on his arm. "And you're not just saying that because you saw me mostly naked this morning?"

Sebastian burst out laughing and Ciel joined in after a moment, smiling at how comfortable the two of them were. He was definitely grateful that the whole 'look back at it and laugh' mentality had been applied here. "Well, maybe it has something to do with it…"

Ciel dragged a hand down his face as he laughed. "You're too much."

Sebastian licked his lips. "I just think—" His phone started to ring and Sebastian sat up as he reached for it. Ciel watched him, and for some reason now more than ever before, the man's silver wedding band stood out. It was on the hand that had been touching Ciel's bicep but he paid it no attention. After Sebastian answered the phone, it was even more of a reminder of why his dumb crush was the worst thing ever…

"Hey honey."

Hannah Michaelis was a person that was real and who was married to Sebastian Michaelis. The smart, handsome, straight Sebastian Michaelis. The Sebastian Michaelis who was on the phone with Hannah Michaelis right now.

Ciel fixed his blue v-neck as he sat up on the couch, not wanting to listen to the conversation. No matter how much he said for himself not to see Sebastian as anything other than what he was—his boss—Ciel found himself maybe a little bitattracted to Sebastian and how he treated him as a person. It was really, really bad.

"Ok. Well, just let me know when you're boarding your flight. I'll have a driver at the airport for you." Sebastian rubbed at his temple and then scratched his jaw, mumbling his next sentence. "Nothing much. Just hanging out."

Ciel stood up and stretched, and when Sebastian looked up at him he gestured to his bedroom, trying to imply that he'd go take a nap in there. Sebastian shook his head no as he listened to whatever his wife was saying on the phone, so Ciel stayed there; standing frozen in his spot. "Alright. Well if anything changes just give me a call. Yeah. Bye, Hannah."

He hung up the phone and Sebastian took Ciel's hand, pulling him back down to the sofa. "Don't go."

Ciel smiled as he plopped down on the couch. "Is everything ok?"

"She just finished her meeting in Boston but her flight isn't for another few hours for whatever reason so. Yeah. But she's fine," Sebastian told him, yawning a bit afterwards. "You're stuck with me and Sieglinde. Sorry."

"That sounds terrible. Well, the _you _part."

Sebastian smirked and nudged the teen. "You don't mean that. You always fix your glasses when you're lying."

Ciel laughed as he moved his hands away from the glasses on his face. "That is not true at all. I'm an honest person—stop that," Ciel said with a laugh, trying to bat Sebastian's hands away. "Mr. Michaelis—"

"I want to see them." Sebastian took Ciel's glasses and smiled as the teen covered his face with both hands. "How bad is your eyesight?"

Ciel kept his hands over his face for a while before lowering them. "Terrible. Those are heavily prescribed so you shouldn't put them on."

Of course, Sebastian put them on. "Jesus."

"I told you," Ciel said, rubbing at his eyes before kicking his feet up on the coffee table. "Seriously, you're going to ruin up your eyes. Don't wear them."

Sebastian took them off and blinked a few times before facing the teen. "Have you ever worn contact lenses?"

"I actually have contact lenses. I've just grown very fond of the glasses."

The man smiled. "They are part of you, for sure. But I can see your eyes a lot better without them on."

Ciel raised an eyebrow as he felt his cheeks tint pink. "A-Are you insinuating that looking into your nanny's eyes is something you do often?"

Sebastian smirked at the teasing nature of the question. "I'm not insinuating anything at all. Just making an observation is all."

"Uh huh," Ciel said with a smile. "You're also distracting me from my nap."

"Well, my bad." Sebastian stood up and stretched. "I'm going to go run and do some errands or two before getting Princess. You better get some rest."

Ciel looked up at him and nodded. "Promise I will. Bye, Mr. Michaelis."

"Bye, Mr. Phantomhive."

After putting on shoes, getting his keys and wallet, and throwing on a light jacket, Sebastian had exited the apartment while humming something unfamiliar. Ciel stared at the TV screen for a while after he was gone, trying his best not to think about how incredible the time they'd spent together that day made him feel. They still had the rest of the afternoon and evening to go since Mrs. Michaelis would be getting back to New York late, but with Sieglinde being there, hopefully Ciel would have less time to wonder if Sebastian was being flirty with him and less time to crush on his boss. If Sebastian was being flirty purposely, that wasn't nice of him. Ciel took a deep breath and closed his eyes, forcing himself to think of anything else. Maybe when he woke up, he'd message people in his classes, or email his professors to find out if there were any homework assignments.

* * *

><p>Sieglinde really was excited when her father showed up at dismissal to take her home that afternoon. It was a while since he'd gotten her from school. Sebastian decided that they would walk home together instead of drive, and on the entire way there, they chatted about different things that happened during the day.<p>

Sebastian didn't tell Sieglinde about his day. She'd be jealous that he got to spend time with Ciel for sure and would probably never be quiet about it. Instead, he allowed his beautiful little girl to go on about her school day and all that she learned.

Her only homework was math, so it wasn't too much of a task for them to tackle. After they stopped for ice cream and arrived back home, they settled in at the dining room table and got started. Ciel was fast asleep but in his bedroom, though that was fine because Sebastian didn't want his very loud and eager daughter to wake him.

"Are you sure that 5+8 is 13? I got 743."

Sieglinde laughed at her father. "I am positive 5 plus 8 is 13, dad."

Sebastian sighed. "I don't know."

"What time is mommy's plane?"

"I'm not too sure. I asked her to call me when she was boarding." The man pulled out his cell phone and looked down at it. "Do you want to call her and say hey? Make sure she's doing super?"

Sieglinde nodded after writing down the last answer on her worksheet. After her father dialed the number, she went over to him and jumped in his lap. It rang a couple times as Sebastian went over the homework to make sure Sieglinde did everything correctly. When he signed his name to say that he'd helped her with it, he heard his wife answer even though the phone was pressed against the girl's ear.

"I told you that I'd call before I got on, Sebastian. You calling me isn't going to rush the process."

"Mom?"

"Sweetie? Oh, hi baby. Sorry. Hi, how are you?"

Sebastian shook his head as he listened to the conversation. Her attitude was so uncalled for.

"I'm good mommy. Daddy let me call you because I know you will be home late. I just wanted to say hi and that I miss you."

"I miss you too, baby. Was school good today? Are you finished with your homework?"

Sieglinde nodded. "School was fun and I'm all done with homework. I'm waiting for Ciel to wake up so that we can hang out. Daddy surprised me at school this afternoon."

There wasn't a response.

"Hello? Mom?"

"Sweetie, put your father on the phone."

"Ok. Love you."

"Love you too, baby."

Sieglinde handed the phone back to her father. "Mommy wants to speak to you."

Sebastian kissed her cheek and said thank you before holding the phone to his ear. He watched her hop down and run towards the bedrooms, knowing that she'd probably go and bother Ciel now that her dad was distracted. "Hello."

"Ciel's asleep and you're doing the job we pay him good money for? I understand it's your day off but that doesn't mean he doesn't have to do anything, Sebastian. It's after 4 in the afternoon. He's still on duty—"

"I'm not paying Ciel to be a father to my daughter, Hannah. If I want to give him time to relax while I spend time with my little girl who I barely get to spend time with, then that's my decision, not yours."

His wife chuckled. "He behaves totally differently when I'm there. Ciel knows that I expect him to be a nanny during the week. Just because we moved him in doesn't mean that he gets to freeload and do nothing."

Sebastian shook his head. "I'm not having this ridiculous conversation with you. Goodbye."

"Sebastian."

"Bye, Hannah." Sebastian hung up the phone and stood up. He looked around the rooms and shook his head seriously not believing the conversation he just took part in. Was Sebastian not supposed to spend any quality time raising their daughter just because they hired someone to help out? What the hell?

"He's awake!" Sieglinde said, running out of the back of the home. Sebastian smiled as Ciel slowly strolled in behind her, rubbing at his eyes. He was clearly startled out of his sleep.

"Yeah 'm up," the teen said, easing his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. "What did I miss?"

Sebastian looked at Sieglinde, not at all fooled by her innocent smile. "Did you wake up Ciel?"

Sieglinde ignored the question. "Let's go to the cafe so that we can come back in time for the fashion show!"

Ciel smiled at her enthusiasm even though he didn't feel any of it. He looked at Sebastian and saw the man smiling at him. "She really is a mini-you, you know that?"

"Yup," Sebastian told him. "Now go get ready.

* * *

><p>Ciel was shunned the entire way home because he didn't think the cafe was all that good. It was <em>okay. <em>Ciel happened to be fonder of Starbucks, which Sebastian happened to dislike. Ciel didn't think their pastries were all that great either. There was a good twenty minute period where neither Sebastian nor Sieglinde would talk to him, despite his trying to start conversations. He broke Sebastian first by saying "I think I'll get in the shower when we get back," which made the man laugh and eventually whisper "screw you."

Sieglinde had to talk to her Nanny eventually because the whole silent treatment thing was torture_. _And it wasn't only because she was a motor mouth, but it was because she always had something fun to talk about with Ciel. It was like he knew everything. She really liked it when her dad was hanging out with them too, because her father and Ciel together were so much fun.

When they got back to the condo and Ciel reluctantly dragged himself to his room to prepare for this 'fashion show', Sebastian received a call from his wife. He sighed as he answered it, not wanting to argue.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm boarding. This flight lands at LaGuardia so please have a driver there in an hour and a half."

Sebastian ran a hand through his hair as Sieglinde brought snacks over to the coffee table, almost dropping a bowl of chips. "Will do. What gate?"

"Terminal C."

"Alright."

She hung up and Sebastian didn't think much of it. They both had their moods from time to time.

_But are you happy?_

Sebastian could hear Ciel's voice clear as day as he remembered the question the boy asked him earlier that day in the car. He walked over to the couch and sat down next to his little girl.

"Are you guys ready?" Ciel called out from deep in the hallway.

Sieglinde turned around with a smile. "Yes! We were born ready, Ciel Phantomhive!"

"No peeking," Ciel said. He couldn't believe he was doing this. _Why did these jeans need to be so tight, Alois?_ "And definitely no laughing."

Sebastian rolled his eyes, but smiled after he finished chewing. "Hurry it up back there."

"Fine," Ciel mumbled. He walked out slowly, not even pretending to be a model on a runway like Sebastian and Sieglinde told him to do while they were enjoying their mediocre pastries and coffees earlier. Modeling required confidence and Ciel didn't exactly feel confident in the things he had on. The outfit was for guys who could pull this off. Ciel didn't think that he could.

Of course, Sieglinde was peeking as he walked from out of the back, smiling widely when she saw him. Ciel still saw the back of his boss's head, so that meant that he wasn't going to sneak a look. "Sieglinde…"

"You look great! Come on, walk!"

Ciel laughed and his cheeks went red, he just knew it. He walked the path to the living room and knowing he was already making a fool of himself, he decided to play with it. He stopped in the center of the room when Sebastian's eyes found his body and put both hands in his pockets (as best he could) leaning to his right side and posing like a high fashion runway model. Sieglinde clapped loudly and tried her hardest to whistle. She made a loud squealing noise instead, but Ciel got the point.

Sebastian had yet to move though. Well, anything other than his eyes had yet to move. Ciel didn't notice just how long they stayed glued to his navy blue skinny jeans—the jeans that were _glued _to Ciel's long legs and hips. He did notice how Sebastian licked his lips when he glanced up at the low-cut V neck shirt (which was much lower than his normal v-necks) and how much of his chest and neck were exposed because of it. Sieglinde jumped on her dad's lap and asked what he thought about it, and that seemed to knock the man out of his trance. Ciel watched his darkened scarlet eyes brighten up a bit as he smiled at his little girl.

"Well, um it's definitely different." Sebastian looked away from Sieglinde and at Ciel. "I mean, it's a good different though. How do you feel about it?"

_Better now that I just caught you ogling me._ "I'm not sure. I think maybe if I wear this cardigan I bought with it. But, everything is a little tighter than I am accustomed to."

"Tight is fine," Sieglinde told him, waving her hand. "It's _in _now. You look fab."

Sebastian looked at her and shook his head before facing Ciel again. "Her mother is in the fashion industry."

Ciel laughed.

"I think," Sebastian licked his lips and Ciel swore that the man's ears were turning a little red. "Maybe you should go try on another and let us compare."

Ciel smiled at him as he fixed his glasses. "Sounds like a plan."

He walked off slowly, knowing that he'd be watched. He didn't know how or why, but he just knew Sebastian would glance over his shoulder.

A little harmless fun, right? It wasn't like anything would come of it.

Ciel tried on his next outfit and did the skinny tie around his neck. He checked himself in the mirror and approved. This ensemble was a bit closer to what the stylish guys on campus wore—the ones everyone thought were cool. The teen decided that after he coiffed his hair a bit, he'd switch to his contacts. That would be a total makeover and he didn't know how he'd feel if they approved too much but, this was supposed to be him doing things differently. What the hell, right?

Ciel heard music playing when he walked out of his bedroom and he laughed when the lyrics registered. _Fancy _by Iggy Azalea played. Sieglinde was distracted by a tickle fight with her father when Ciel entered the living room, swaying over to the spot he occupied previously. Even if he looked like an idiot, he was having fun with it, and at the end of the day, that was what mattered.

"Ahem," Ciel bowed when he had their attention and did a little twirl. Sieglinde smiled when she looked up and hopped up on the couch, pushing her father aside.

"That's hot stuff! And wow, you're even more of a hunk with_out_ the spectacles!"

Ciel smiled and placed his hands in his pockets. That girl was going to be a huge flirt when she knew what she was capable of. She'd pretty much own all the boys.

Sebastian had a small smirk on his lips as his eyes moved up and down Ciel's body. "Those jeans are tighter than the last pair. I didn't think that was possible. But I love the color red. You look incredible."

"Agreed," Sieglinde said with a nod of finality. "Really, really incredible!"

"Thank you both."

Sebastian smiled at him; their eyes locked on one another's as the man licked his lips. "And like I said earlier, being able to see your eyes is definitely a good thing in my book. But, I am also a fan of the glasses."

Ciel nodded. "I'll c-consider that."

Sebastian nodded back. "Are there any others?" His eyes had roamed back down to Ciel's thighs but only for a moment. He was then feigning indifference, glancing over at the TV.

Ciel nodded. "Just one more outfit but I think I'm going to go with this one. I am a fan of skinny ties, and this being a button-up shirt even though it's all white, it feels like home."

Sebastian smiled at that. "Yeah, that one looks really good. But I think it may be a tie with the first one."

"We need to see the last one to be sure," Sieglinde added, rubbing her chin. Ciel smiled at her.

"I can't tell you no, Sieglinde. I'll be right back then."

Sebastian was looking at the TV again as Sieglinde said ok, and Ciel jogged back to the room. He heard the 6 year old attempting to sing along with the rap lyrics and not doing so well, making him let out a small giggle.

Sieglinde decided that she'd take a bathroom break a few minutes after Ciel had left. Sebastian nodded and told her to hurry up as he took a drink of her apple juice. He nodded his head to the song playing and stared at the TV, waiting for the final outfit.

Fucking hell.

Ciel looked… _shit. _He looked incredibly _fuckable _in both of the outfits he came out in. Like, seriously. And Sebastian was totally in a committed relationship with his beautiful wife but, like, shit. Ciel… he was a very attractive young man. There was nothing wrong with admitting that. It wasn't like Sebastian didn't find guys handsome before. He just didn't automatically think _'let me take your virginity right here on my living room floor' _when he saw a handsome guy. Like, seriously.

Ciel strolled into the living room and looked around for Sieglinde, adjusting the sleeves of the fitted black shirt he wore. His abdomen muscles were clearly visible. It was great. Sebastian smiled when he saw Ciel had hooked suspenders onto his pants and let them hang down by his sides. The pants he wore were white and tucked into shin-length Doc Marten boots. "She had to run to the bathroom… damn."

Ciel froze where he was in the center of the room and looked at his boss. He blushed, and then smiled. "Damn? Is everything ok, Mr. Michaelis?"

Sebastian licked his lips and looked away, nodding. _Mr. Michaelis. _Ciel would be the death of him. "Everything is fantastic. Do you want to place bets that Alois will change his mind about this blind date if he ever sees you in _those_?"

Ciel walked closer to Sebastian and watched the man's eyes focus on his bottom half. He slowly turned around and smiled at Sebastian nodding his head. "So you like this one too?"

After a deep breath came his answer. "It's… yeah. I like, I like it. They're all great. Yeah."

Ciel licked his lips and blushed, looking away. He didn't think he could go through with… whatever this was. This could only end badly, this crush. And his boss's flirting was going to make things even worse.

"I'll consider it, then."

Sebastian looked at the teen's face and saw it change. He cleared his throat and sat up straighter, hoping that the half hardness he felt right now wasn't visible. "Are you ok?"

Ciel still didn't give him any eye contact. "Sorry, yeah, I'm fine."

"I hope you don't think I think that your style is bad because I love it, it's you. But this… I guess you can wear anything well is what I'm saying. Yes."

Ciel nodded and glanced at him for only a moment. "Thank you but I'm not thinking that at all. I'm fine."

Sebastian nodded at him.

"Wow," Sieglinde clapped slowly as she walked over. "I think the suspenders are a nice touch, and those boots. Very nice, very nice."

Ciel smiled when he saw her and did another twirl. "So yes? Is there a clear winner?"

"I think the one with the tie." Sieglinde thought, and then sat down next to her father and looked at him. "Maybe add the suspenders to that one?"

Sebastian smiled at her and nodded. "Maybe."

Ciel smiled at the both of them. "Well, I have a good four days to worry about all of that. I'm going to get in my pajamas. Thanks for all your help."

"Glad we could help," Sebastian told him. He took another look at Ciel and smiled as the teen hurried away. It was a few minutes of Sieglinde going on about how perfect Ciel was going to look for his date while she ate her snacks before Sebastian finally told her it was bath time.

Ciel didn't really come out of his room much after that.

* * *

><p>At 10 o'clock that evening, Hannah walked into the condo. Sebastian was at the table reading over some emails he neglected that day. He looked up at his wife as she pulled off her coat and hung it up. To be honest, Sebastian wasn't expecting her to say much being that they were having their little ridiculous argument, but she smiled when she saw him and walked over; her short black skirt tight around her thighs and more cleavage than necessary showing through her red top. For some reason, he wasn't finding this appealing in the slightest.<p>

"Hello, handsome."

Sebastian looked back to his laptop screen before facing his wife again. "Hannah. How were the meetings—" she sat in his lap and smiled at the shock on her husband's face.

"I'm sorry for being a shitty wife today. I was stressed out. Can I make it up to you?"

Sebastian looked at her to see if she was being serious. Or maybe she wanted something. "If you really mean it, yeah."

"I mean it." She kissed his lips and stood up. "I'll go run the jacuzzi. Meet me in 10?"

Sebastian nodded as the woman walked away. He took a deep breath once he heard a door close and dragged a hand down his face.

_But are you happy?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Fuck I hate Hannah, but she is necessary, sadly. **

**A****nyways, reviews are appreciated.**


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